…containing The Whixall Wake, Queen Victoria’s Golden Anniversary and Diamond Jubilee, and King Edward VII Coronation 1902.

The Whixall Wake by Bill Cliftlands

Whixall had plenty of fun as a community when they held their annual Whixall ‘Wake’. We are familiar with one meaning of ‘wake’, but the word ‘wake’ also refers to a revel, an annual village gathering whose main aim was to have a good time. It was a mini-holiday! It dates back to at least the 15th Century in England when church wakes were held to celebrate the dedication of the Church; some celebrated the church’s Saint’s Day. While the Whixall Wakes were held in September, and Whixall’s third chapel was consecrated in September 1867, this appears to have been mere coincidence since the 1866 wake was also held in September and indeed, that month seemed to have been favoured in the local area (Tilstock and Bronington had wakes then). Perhaps it was something to do with the harvest?

In Whixall, the wake took place on two consecutive days, the Monday and the Tuesday. The Whixall Wakes of September 1867 were “kept up” at the public-houses of the Waggoners and the Pheasant at the same time – after all, it was a revel for the whole community! The fun included ‘bag-racing’ (i.e. sack-racing?) and ‘foot racing’ (and ‘a lot of impromptu affairs’). The Wellington Journal declared that folk were engaged “with a zest peculiar to Whixall people alone”. The Whixallites ‘took their beer quietly’, returning to their homes ‘like decent people’ fairly early in the evening (apparently unlike Tilstock folk at their wake!). Part of the wake included ‘visiting and entertaining each other bountifully according to custom’. It was a time of great generosity and sharing. The wakes were not only celebrated at the Waggoners/ Pheasant – there was a fiddler at the Plough in 1868 during the wake of that year. One wake saw sports and a canal trip to Whitchurch on the Monday while Whixall Brass Band played for dancing on the Tuesday evening. In 1891, Monday saw rabbit coursing (usually in a field near the Pheasant) while Tuesday saw a public tea in aid of Whixall Brass Band and the Whitchurch Cottage Hospital; it was ‘an excellent tea provided by Benjamin Edgerton of Platt Lane’. Tea dancing then occurred till 9.30 ‘to the excellent music of the band under the leadership of Bandmaster Herbert Maddocks.’ The Tuesday of the 1891 wake also saw ‘more rabbit coursing and the usual sweet standings, shooting galleries and the like.’ [Interestingly, the Edgertons did sell shot too, sizes 4, 5 and 6]. 1889 had featured ‘swing boats’. Whixall was alive and having a good time and unsurprisingly, outsiders came, for instance, from Bronington and Newtown. And so on that week, the working day started on a Wednesday!

Queen Victoria’s Golden Anniversay and Diamond Jubilee by Bill Cliftlands

Whixall began its preparations for the Queen’s Golden Anniversary in May 1887 with a meeting held in the ‘old school’ chaired by the Rev Evans, then Vicar of Whixall. He was particularly pleased to be chair because he could actually remember the celebration of the jubilee of George III in 1809. Unfortunately, ‘the meeting was very small’. It was decided on the suggestion of Col. Lee (who was from Tilstock!) to elect a committee of 20 and this was immediately proceeded with. One suggestion was that the celebration would be a public dinner or tea ‘with the usual accompaniments’. The meeting did not sound particularly effective, but the Committee, on the evidence of the day itself, clearly did take its business seriously. The day in question began at 11.am with a procession forming at the ‘old school’ consisting of waggons containing the children of the different schools, while adults filled wagonettes and ‘other conveyances’. The procession consisted of 64 conveyances which reached nearly a mile in length. It was headed by No.1 Division of the Whitchurch Rifle Volunteer Band lent by Major Lee under the ‘able conductorship of George Rogers’. Whixall Brass Band did not, as yet, exist (but it was coming!). The band was followed by Major Lee, the Rev J. Evans MA and the Rev W. Waldron (temporary curate at Whixall Church) while No. 2 Division of the Band was placed in the centre. The procession paraded around all parts of the township and ‘presented a most imposing appearance’ since each conveyance was decorated with flags and flowers and more. The houses along the route had flags flying and mottoes on show. A number of splendid arches had been erected. On arriving back at school, this, and a tent, were employed from 1.00pm for upwards of 1000 people to sit down for refreshments. Mr Fitton had lent a field in which athletic sports were conducted until 8.00pm. George Rogers conducted the band in an ‘excellent section of music’ during the afternoon and also dancing for the evening. The Herald observed that ‘the pleasure of listening to the exquisite music of a well-trained full band was greatly enjoyed’. The celebration ended with ‘the whole concourse of people singing the National Anthem, accompanied by the band.’ Rev Evans gave each child a ‘Jubilee medal’ as a gift. A subsequent meeting of the Jubilee Committee considered the funding arrangements. With great satisfaction, it declared that over £46 had been subscribed and with the sale of tickets raising £3 10s, £49 10s had been spent on the day’s festivities. Just ten years later, the parish would celebrate Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee…

The Whixall Diamond Jubilee Celebrations were planned from mid-May 1897 with a public meeting, but unlike 1887, it was held at the controversial and divisive ‘new school’. A ‘good attendance’ was encouraging. After funding the day’s festivities, any surplus would be used to create a lending library ‘as a permanent memorial.’ A general committee of 24 was elected. The Rev J.J. Addenbrooke was appointed chairman while the nonconformist headmaster of the new school and now Chairman of the Parish Council, Joseph Ainsworth, was appointed vice-chair and Mr Jarvis was made treasurer. The first two appointments brought the two sides of the parish together given the clash over religion and the schools. The parish was divided into six districts and a collector appointed for each one. At the meeting, Addenbrooke promised £5 and further subscriptions of £16 1s were promised. After ‘some discussion’, it was decided to celebrate the Jubilee on Monday, 21st June in the ‘new school’ with the use of an adjoining field. A united service in St Mary’s would start the day. Henry Maddocks, conductor of Whixall Brass Band, offered its services gratis. Another meeting in June declared that c£50 had been promised or collected. The procession route was decided. Tea would occur at 1.00pm while sports (arranged by a special Sports Sub-committee) would occur in the afternoon and the evening. However, a ‘warm discussion’ followed over the purchase of beer. Many nonconformists (and not a few Anglicans) were part of the temperance movement – the vice-Chair, Joseph Ainsworth, was a long-standing champion of the cause. It was decided that not a penny of the monies raised would be spent on the purchasing of beer; it would only be provided if ‘it was to be begged’. Another committee was appointed to make arrangements for the tea consisting of the Chairman, Secretary, and Treasurer as well as William Darlington of Whixall Hall, Richard Evans of Bostock Hall and Thomas Powell of Welsh End. And so for the day itself.

The day did indeed begin with a united service in church which was well filled with Anglicans and nonconformists sharing the pews. The Rev. W.S. Holt, the Whixall Congregational Minister, read the lessons and the Vicar, J.J. Addenbrooke, preached an appropriate sermon from Isiah XLIX, 23 ‘And Kings shall be their nursing fathers and their Queens their nursing mothers’. A procession, marshalled by J.H. Williams and headed by the Whixall Brass Band, proceeded via Hollinwood and Welsh End to the ‘new’ school at Brownsbrook. At one o’ clock tea was enjoyed for as long as two hours, adults having an excellent knife and fork tea consisting of beef, mutton, ham, tongue, cheese, tea, beet, etc while children had a beef and ham sandwich and cake and tea in the schoolroom; served by the Sunday School teachers. This was certainly a community celebration with Anglicans and Nonconformists sitting down together. Mr Bradbury, Wem, provided the meat, the beer was given (literally given after the ‘warm discussion’ at a Jubilee Committee meeting) by six local brewers and publicans, and the rest of the provisions were supplied by the shopkeepers in the parish. Indeed, subsequently, the festivities were described as ‘lavish’ and the Jubilee Committee was to be ‘congratulated’ according to the Herald. At three o’ clock, the sports session heard the first firing of the gun and folk ran and hopped and jumped until dusk. This took place in a field belonging to Mr Evans of Bostock Hall which he provided free of charge. Whixall Brass Band, conducted by Mr Herbert Maddocks, played selections during the afternoon, and then played for dancing in the evening. About 1000 persons partook of the tea. As in 1887, the children attending the Day Schools were presented with Jubilee medals and finally were provided with a treat of an orange each. 1897 showed how Whixall could celebrate as one.

King Edward VII Coronation 1902 by Bill Cliftlands

Despite Queen Victoria’s considerable age, her death was not anticipated either by her family or by the nation and it sent shockwaves across the country. Her two-hour long solemn funeral procession took place in February 1901. It was, however, a long time before the nation could move from mourning to celebration, the celebration of the Coronation of the new King, Edward VII, in August 1902.

It was time to welcome the Edwardian era with the usual fun and festivities! Some communities found this harder than others. Yes, you’ve guessed it; things did not go so well in Whixall! A public meeting was held after the Parish Council meeting of April 1902 to discuss the Coronation celebrations. All the councillors remained and half a dozen of the public turned up. The nonconformist, Joseph Ainsworth, Chair of the Parish Council, presided over the meeting. There was, apparently, ‘a considerable amount of discussion’. However, so many significant folk were missing (revealing a ‘lack of interest’) that it was decided to take no decisions. A month later, the press reflected upon the developing situation and allows us to understand why the public meeting (dominated by nonconformists) had been so poorly attended. There was a ‘Nonconformist Coronation Committee’ and naturally, an ‘Anglican Coronation Committee’ led by the Vicar, J.J. Addenbrooke. The Nonconformist Coronation Committee decided to submit two proposals to the Rev. Addenbrooke. Interestingly, one proposal suggested that the two committees should ‘sink their differences!’ It further suggested that the two committees meet with everything on the table for debate – including the appointment of officers. Secondly, it was proposed that a Parish Meeting be called in order to elect a ‘representative committee’ in order to make further arrangements. It was pointed out that any contracts already agreed (e.g. tent hire) were bound to be honoured by any new committee. However, the Anglican Church Committee made a counter-proposal suggested by the Rev J.J. Addenbrooke and seconded by the headmaster of the Church School, Mr Charles Hobday. It proposed that the two committees should amalgamate in order to carry out a ‘united celebration’ in the parish. There was to be no election. It was subsequently reported that Addenbrooke was to call a ‘special committee meeting’ to discuss the matter but admitted that he ‘could hold out no hopes that either of the nonconformist suggestions would be agreed to’. In fact, the Nonconformist Coronation Committee had apparently already received a letter from Charles Hobday stating that ‘it was unanimously decided that both proposals be rejected’ and that the two committees should proceed with the celebration ‘on their own lines’. Given that the Whixall population was c75% nonconformist, it is no surprise that the Anglican Coronation Committee rejected the notion of the election of a ‘Representative Committee’. The 1897 Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria celebration had appeared to be a genuine community celebration despite the still smouldering resentment over the building of a second school. Preparations for the 1902 Coronation strongly suggested otherwise. Whixall remained divided.